You’ll be the Death of me by Karen M. McManus [book review]

You’ll be the Death of me book summary

You’ll be the Death of me follows Ivy, Mateo, and Cal. They use to be close back in the eighth grade when a multitude of things makes them grow apart. Today is the day none of them really want to be there. Ivy brutally lost the presidency at her school. Cal just went through a breakup. And Mateo just doesn’t want to be there. Coincidentally they all show up late and run into each other. They are all having a bad start to their day, so why not recreate the best day ever that made them friends so many years ago? As they skip school they find out that another classmate is skipping as well. So, they follow him. When he shows up dead Ivy, Mateo, and Cal run. But can they really have any involvement in his death?

What I thought

So, I was debating on whether or not to sign up for this tour. Don’t get me wrong though, Karen’s books are really well done. Typically they always grab my attention but how the books end always falls flat for me. I mostly expect something more dramatic or there are certain things that just don’t make sense to me personally. But I have come to realize that I put her books on a ridiculously high standard because they are so hyped. Boy am I glad that I joined in on this one. You’ll be the Death of me is by far one of my favorites of Karen’s.

Most of the decisions made in the story are illogical but there’s a good reason behind it. Most of what happens I don’t question as I do in her other novels. The Cousins is one of her other novels that I questioned things and it ruined a little bit of the plot for me. I still enjoyed the book though! I’m so happy that nothing popped out to me to make me question what was going on in this one.

One thing I really enjoyed about You’ll be the Death of me is all of the twists and turns. There are many I was not expecting. As much as I want to go into detail about it I also don’t want to ruin the story for anyone who hasn’t read the book yet.

And remember, Ivy anticipation is often worse than reality.

This quote is one of the few that popped out to me. Not only can I relate to it (like a lot), I also think it sets up the rest of the story for Ivy. She has a tendency to overreact and things probably wouldn’t have been so bad if she had just gone to the police from the very start.

Even though Ivy is just a character it does let me know that there are others out there who are like me. I have a habit of worrying about things long before they happen and when the time comes it ends up not being that bad.

When it comes to the characters the main one I’m able to kind of connect with is Cal. I have always been that awkward person and have a hard time making friends. It never helped back in high school I always felt like everyone’s “alternate” friend. His decisions in the book are completely relatable because he doesn’t want to lose anyone and winds up losing them anyway.

You’ll be the Death of me is definitely a five-star read for me. I just hope that there’s going to be a sequel. With how things ended there’s room for one!

If you guys are looking for recommendations of books similar to this one make sure to check out my post on YA Thrillers.

Also if any of you want to join in on my 2022 reading challenge make sure to check it out!